Piotr Kowal – pianist, chamber musician, and pedagogue associated with the Kraków musical community. A graduate of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, where he studied under Prof. Andrzej Pikul. In 2018, he obtained the degree of Doctor of Arts on the basis of a dissertation devoted to the interpretation of Beethoven’s late piano sonatas, including the monumental Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”. In 2025, he was awarded the postdoctoral degree (habilitation).
A recipient of scholarships from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (Creative Scholarship 2022), the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (Polish Culture in the World), and the Rector of the Academy of Music in Kraków. In 2024, he was honored with the Award of the Mayor of the City of Kraków.
He has performed on international stages in Austria, China, Spain, Israel, Germany, the United States, Slovakia, and Italy. In 2025, he undertook a concert tour of the USA, performing, among others, in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and the state of Mississippi.
He regularly appears as a soloist and chamber musician. He has performed at prestigious festivals such as Wawel o Zmierzchu, Muzyka w Starym Krakowie, Silence, and Muzyka u Czartoryskich. He has collaborated with, among others, the Częstochowa Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the Rishon LeZion Orchestra, performing works including Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto in E-flat major. Since 2024, he has served as the Artistic Director of the Tynieckie Recitale Kameralne Festival.
A laureate of international piano competitions, including the Tadeusz Żmudziński Piano Competition in Kraków, as well as competitions in Israel, Portugal, Singapore, and Vienna. He received the Silver Diploma of the Musical Eagles Awards for the album Bruzdowicz: Works for Piano and Cello and the Bronze Diploma for the album Aurora, recorded with the Czarakcziew/Kowal Duo.
He further refined his skills at the Musikhochschule in Lübeck under Prof. Konstanze Eickhorst and during postgraduate studies with Prof. Aquiles Delle Vigne. He also participated in masterclasses with distinguished pedagogues such as Paul Badura-Skoda, Dmitri Bashkirov, Dina Joffe, Emanuel Krasovsky, and Evgeny Koroliov.
He is currently employed as an assistant professor at the Piano Department of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków and, since 2018, has been the Head of the Piano Section at the Bronisław Rutkowski Primary and Secondary Music School in Kraków.